PATERSON — A Passaic man has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for killing and sexually assaulting a 21-month-old girl, Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced.

Akel A. Ackie, 25, had pleaded guilty in June to aggravated manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child for the sexual conduct, the prosecutor said.

Ackie had been babysitting the girl on March 20, 2010 when he assaulted her, authorities said. He called 9-1-1 after the child went into respiratory distress, and by the time emergency responders arrived at the Passaic home, she was already unresponsive, authorities said. At St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, doctors diagnosed the girl with significant brain injuries. Ackie was arrested the day after, and the girl remained in critical condition before dying on March 23, authorities said.

After an evaluation at the hospital, it was also determined that the child had been sexually assaulted, Valdes said.

Since his arrest, Ackie had been held in the Passaic County Jail on $1.5 million bail. Ackie initially rejected the plea deal in April, telling the judge that he wanted a new lawyer, according to the The Record. However, he accepted that same plea deal some two months later.

Ackie was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the aggravated manslaughter charge, and an additional seven years for the child endangerment charge, Valdes said. Ackie will have to serve 29 years before being eligible for parole, the prosecutor added.

Ackie remains at the Passaic County Jail while awaiting transfer to state prison, Valdes said.